Gwenn Thann
by Richard Starkey
Summary: The only thing keeping Maethiel from collapsing on the ground and welcoming the sweet release of death was a promise, an oath. . . No romance with canon characters or girl falls into ME. Trying not to be a mary sue.
1. Chapter 1

**Hello. This is my first fanfic. I'm trying not to make it a marysue, and I really do need some advice. Constructive cristicism is welcomed, as long as it is put nicely. Flames aren't my favorite kind of review obviously, and I would rather not have them in my story. I don't think that will help much, but it's worth saying. **

**So read, review and hopefully enjoy**

**Disclaimer: Obviously I'm not J.R.R. Tolkien, and I do not own any of his creations. I am not making any money from this story. I only own Mathiel, her aquantences and family that are not canon characters. Thanks!**

**On with the story!**

The orcs were coming closer, Maethiel knew; she could hear their boots stomping in the near distance._I have to get to Rivendell!_ the girl thought as she ran along, her breaths coming in short wheezes. Her feet were dragging on the ground and she scolded herself for giving in to the weariness she had accumulated in the past week. Thoughts were foggy now, as if it almost took too much energy to think. The only thing keeping her from collapsing on the ground and welcoming the sweet release of death was willpower, and a promise.

He told me to get to Rivendell! Told me . . . warn them . . . if something happened to him. And something did.

Just as the thought crossed her mind, an arrow flew past her left ear, missing her by inches._What would father do?_ She thought desperately. Her whole body shook with her fervent attempts to get more air.

I have to make more distance between us. Then I can hide for a moment. I must.

So, using the little strength she still possessed, she ran as fast as her feet could carry her.

_It's working!_ She thought gleefully as she looked back too see she had put a good extra twenty five feet between herself and the foul creatures. But she thought too soon. One of the orcs had seen her. He aimed his bow and shot three arrows into the autumn air. One hit her squarely on the shoulder another in her side, the last piercing her leg. A half scream ripped through her lips, but she stopped not wanting to provoke the Orcs further.

"Ai!" a sharp intake of breath pierced the monotonous sound of the orcs marching. Pain obliterated all thoughts. She couldn't run much longer, Not after this. She stumbled of in the forest to her left. It was thick, dark and hopefully, if she had enough time, they wouldn't find her. She trudged on for about ten minutes, arrows still sticking out of her body, losing blood all the while, until she found a secluded area with a stump to sit on. Sitting down, she took a deep breath and pulled out one of the arrows, and screamed as the cold metal was ripped out of her flesh. An almost unbearable pain flashed through her entire body. Blood began to flow freely from her side. She put her hand on the wound in an attempt to stem the flow but it didn't help.

_I've failed. This is the end._

Suddenly a twig snapped and interrupted her thoughts. She drew her sword.

"Little boy, I've come to end your misery"

An orc

She held her sword out in front of her looked at the orc, about five feet away.

"Come and get me. "

The orc spun around, and sneered at her. Her reflexes were too weakened to react in time and he stabbed her in the stomach. Again, the pain doubled. Maethiel looked at the blood on her hands This was the kind of beast that had killed her family, leaving her an orphan, forcing her to fail her father. She looked it straight in the eye and said, with as much contempt as she could muster ;

"Lasto lalaith nin! Hear my laughter! And lunged at the beast. He was surprised that she was still trying after all of her wounds and was stunned. Her sword went cleanly through his chest. She yanked it out of him and slid down to lean against the tree, waiting for the end to come. The taste of her own blood was metallic on her tongue.

_I failed you. Please forgive me._

"What is your name?"

Maethiel turned her head and saw a rough looking man with shoulder length brown hair looking at her.

She struggled to her feet, using he tree trunk beside her for support and brandished her sword at him

"I am prepared to fight you. Don't come any closer." Only until these words escaped her mouth did she realize how ridiculous the statement sounded. She was bleeding heavily from four different wounds, she could barely stand and she was fifteen. Enough said.

A thought crossed her mind. She was close now. If he was from Imladris. . . .

No . . . He could . . .

It doesn't matter much does it? Death is near

"Nin heniach?" _do you understand me?_

"Pedich i lam edhellen?" _you speak elvish?_

She nodded. He then seemed to notice the arrow sticking out of her shoulder and the blood on the ground where she had been sitting a moment before.

"Boe le nestad!"_ Do you need to be healed?_

She nodded her head and then slumped back to the ground. Her vision was becoming blurry and her breaths shallow and quick.

He quickly walked over to her and looked at the extent of her wounds. They were all deep poisoned and definitely orc made, not a good thing at all.

She had lost a lot of blood and her stomach and side were still bleeding heavily. This girl certainly had a story to tell, but first he needed to get her to Lord Elrond. He was busy with Frodo at the moment but he hoped the elf lord could spare a little time, for this child needed his services too. He picked her up, staring at her sheet white face, her blood tinged lips creating a deathly contrast.. She was feather light, and he noted the fact that she was wearing boys clothing.

"Man ceril?"_ What are you doing_? She murmured. "Mas bedil an?" _Where are we going?_

"Avo 'osto" _Fear not_ " Imladris"_ Rivendell_

The name Rivendell sparked something in her memory.

"I have to tell you... I have a message... from my father. Tell Lord Elrond... Orcs ...destroying villages everywhere. They're coming to Rivendell!" she whispered urgently.

He looked at her in surprise.

"Thank you." he said disturbed by the news. "Who is your father?"

"R-ranger."

"What is his name?"

"Th-Thalion" She was now struggling to stay conscious. As he reached his horse he put her in the saddle in front of him and spurred his horse off towards Rivendell. It was just fifteen minutes ride away but he feared she would not make it. He tried to make conversation to keep her mind away from the excruciating pain he knew she was experiencing.

"What is your name?"

"Maethiel."

"Maethiel," He murmured. It sounded familiar, very familiar, though he could not place it

"That is fitting. You are a valiant warrior. I heard what you said to that orc before you slew him. Who taught you how to fight?"

"My . . . father."

"He taught you well. Do not fear me, I know your father. I also take my allegiance with the Rangers. Where is he now?"

She shook her head, tears streaming down her face, half from the pain, half from the memory of her fresh anguish.

"I'm sorry."

Maethiel nodded, then whispered

"Le hannon." and the darkness consumed her.

**Maethiel's name means fight maiden in elvish. **

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	2. Chapter 2

**Hello! How are you today! I have updated and hopefully improved a fair bit of my story! Tell me what you think? Review please!**

**Disclaimer: See first chapter**

_Where am I?_

Maethiel's eyes snapped open and time suddenly came rushing back to her, at least up to a point. The last few hours seemed a blur. She tried turning sideways, but found that she did not have the energy. "Rivendell?" she whispered, gently lifting her head from the soft bed beneath her. Her eyes glided carelessly over the objects in the room, not really stopping to see them. "Am I truly here?"

"Ah, I see our warrior princess is up."

Maethiel shot up reflexively, or would have, had not someone been restraining her.

"Do not try to move, you are too weak."

"Who are you?" she asked, unable to see the speaker.

"My name is Aragorn. Do you not remember me?"

"No," she said, knitting her eyebrows in confusion. "I apologize. The past two days are a blur. . . What happened?"

The man paused for a moment, allowing his voice to soften a bit. "I only have a basic outline," he started "But I will tell you what I know, if you wish."

He paused as if wondering if he should not let her rest for a few more moments. However, he decided to continue.

"You were running from an army of Orcs.You had three arrow wounds and pulled one of them out. One must have come for you, because the first thing I heard was "Come and get me" I must confess, I was a bit curious by then and started to go your direction. This next part was quite a sight to come upon.

"I saw an Orc, hovering near you, arm ready to strike. Before I could do anything however he had stabbed you in the stomach! I would have thought you dead had I not heard your next words. "Lasto lalaith nin!" You had killed him. Quite a brave act for someone so young." Aragorn paused for breath and chuckled. "I asked you what your name was and you threatened to fight me. You'd think you had two good arms and an army at your disposal by the way you spoke. I'll say you fooled me... for a moment that is.**" **

"You then asked 'haniach nin?' I answered you, of course, before I realized how much blood there was around you. Before I could ask you anything further, you collapsed. I rode as fast as my horse could carry us to Imladris. I'm surprised you stayed conscious so long, by all accounts you should be dead."

Maethiel was staring at him in shock. "I am alive then?"

Aragorn nodded. "It was very hard to keep you this way though. Lord Elrond had to bring you back from the very brink of death it seemed, you owe him a debt of gratitude."

Maethiel looked at the man who had most certainly saved her life. "Rim hennaid." (Many thanks.)

"Galir na thaed," Aragorn smiled. (Happy to help.) He suddenly turned serious. "If you will excuse me, I will go find Lord Elrond. He has been waiting for you to awaken." With that he left the room

_I'm alive! _Maethiel sang in her mind. _I made it to Rivendell! _Suddenly a shadow of doubt crossed her face, all of her mood diminished. _What of the Orcs? I lie here, and yet they may still draw near. _Maethiel started to panic. _I must tell them! _

"This is Lord Elrond." A voice broke her thoughts as Aragorn re-entered the room.

An elf with long black hair accompanied him, taking a place beside the bed. He had an air of nobility about himself and what could only be described as a glow. Maethiel used all her strength to prop herself up, an overwhelming sense of dizziness and pain passing through her as she did so. She swayed on the spot but still managed to say "Rim hennaid."

"You should not move, Maethiel." Admonished Elrond, willing her to lie back down.

"Did . . . did you stop the orcs?" she stuttered.

"Yes, you no longer need to concern yourself with that. Rest now. You have already spent energy that should not have been."

"I'm not too tired actually."

Someone chuckled. "Lord Elrond is right. Sleep. Tomorrow is another day, and perhaps you'll have your own energy to spend by then."

Maethiel wasn't listening; she was already asleep.

**How was it? Any changes I should make? Now press that little purple-blue button!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey guys! Sorry it's been a while, I've been busy!**

**Disclaimer: See first chapter**

Maethiel awoke to find herself feeling much better than before. She pulled herself out of bed and stretched, wincing at the soreness of her muscles. Her body still felt weak, but she wanted to explore this place called Rivendell; The place that her parents had told her so much about.

She began by looking around the room. It was beautiful. Everything was white and wood except for three dresses laid out on the end of the bed. Maethiel was not one for wearing dresses, as they were difficult to run in, but even she had to admit that they were breathtaking.

One was a midnight blue with silver embroidery around the sleeves and neckline. The next was a light periwinkle, the sleeves a flowing silk.

The last was her favorite. It was a light forest green, made of deep, soft velvet. The skirt was an almost white, light green. She painfully put it on, taking care not to glance at the bandages that she knew covered her abdomen.

Wincing, Maethiel looked about the room for her brother's clothes, the last things she owned of her older sibling's, and hoped that they were still there. An hour of searching was all she took, before giving up. They were nowhere to be seen.

Sighing, Maethiel walked through the carved doorway of the room. Outside, it was a wondrous place, all elegant hallways and corridors, but Maethiel feared she would never find her way back to her room. A sharp throbbing was coming from the wound on her abdomen and a sense of hunger was filling up her stomach.

She tried to remember the last time she had eaten or drank anything and nothing came to mind. So she started searching for somewhere to get some food. In a place such as Rivendell though, this was a huge feat. She had walked around for about an hour and was beginning to despair when she heard a voice behind her.

"Lady?" Maethiel turned around. Standing behind her was a blond haired elf wearing a blue tunic. He looked at her questioningly.

"What are you doing here?"

"I-I was looking for a glass of water." She said. He smiled at her.

"Ah. Come this way then, Maethiel. You should not be walking around so quickly after such an ordeal. If it only will take a minute however, I'm sure you're up to it."

" . . . How do you know of me?" She asked.

"I was one who helped to care for you. I must say, when I saw Estel carrying you to Rivendell yelling for help, I thought you hopeless. Lord Elrond had his hands full with you and Master Baggins. But you are both here."

Maethiel did a double take.

"Baggins, as in Bilbo Baggins?" Maethiel questioned him.

"You know of him?" The elf asked, perplexed. "No matter. This is Frodo, his nephew or

cousin . . ." They made a left and were soon standing in an enormous kitchen filled with wonderful smells. The elf went away for a while and came back with a flask of water and a bowl of steaming soup. He put them on a table and pulled out a chair for her. Maethiel, who was not used to being treated this way, was slightly embarrassed and sat down, mumbling, "Hannon le."

She took a sip of the soup and her eyes widened in delight. It was finished in what seemed like no time, and Maethiel automatically got up to wash her dishes.

"There is no need for that," he said. "Now come, it's time you get back to bed. Lord Elrond wishes to speak with you further."

Once they reached their destination, the still nameless elf helped her into her bed and went to go get Lord Elrond again. Maethiel sat there for a few minutes until there was a knock on the door.

"Come in." Maethiel said, surprised they even had to ask. She was also surprised when quite an impressive string of people came streaming through the door. First came Lord Elrond, followed by Aragorn and a very tall gray bearded man wearing a cloak. They were all very intimidating and the girl grew nervous. Lord Elrond was the first to speak.

"Maethiel, this is Mithrandir," he said. "Although, he may prefer you to call him Gandalf."

"We are sorry if what we are about to ask of you is painful, but we must know. Tell us what has happened to you, as much as you remember. Take as much time as you will, there is no hurry." Maethiel took a deep breath, reluctant to tell her story.

"I lived in a very small village. . ." she began. "Wait, what day is it?" She said, a small amount of crimson rising to her cheeks as she did so.

Gandalf smiled.

"It is October the twenty-third."

"Thank you." Maethiel replied. Hesitatingly, she continued. "Thirteen days ago, my father ran to our house. He was visiting, and was out renewing my mothers supply of herbs. My father walked in and told us a group of orcs were traveling quickly in our direction. He turned to me, and made me promise, take an oath. I was to hide, and if anything should happen to him, or my brother, I was to run to Riveldell, and warn them of the approaching danger. When he rode out, we all prepared ourselves." Maethiel paused. "H-he . . . was found, slain and tortured not long afterward. My mother hid in her room and my brother stuffed me into a basket, sitting on the lid so I would stay in. It was not even a day before the orcs reached our town.

"They came in . . . and slew them all. I-I heard their screams as. . . I couldn't move so I stayed put until they were gone . . . but everyone, the whole town, was dead." She took another deep breath to steady herself and continued.

"In that moment, I vowed to avenge their deaths, and to fight evil in the world to my best abilities. I put on my brothers clothes, cut my hair and took a sword. And I ran. I ran as fast and long as I could, trying to reach Rivendell. The Orcs were only a few leagues behind me all the while.

"I ran for seven days and the orcs gained more and more ground until they were nearly upon me. I kept up this pace up for another day or so, but the Orcs were too close and I didn't know which way to Imladris, but I still kept on going. I was shot however, and I went into the forest . . . That's . . . That's all I remember." Maethiel finished her story with a sigh.

There was a stunned silence at the end of her story.

Maethiel wished someone would say something, for the silence left her staring awkwardly at her hands.

Lord Elrond spoke first. "How old are you?"

"Fifteen." There was another silence, filled with sympathetic looks.

"You ran for eight days?"

Maethiel nodded.

Elrond signaled for everyone to leave with a nod of his head. One by one, they filed out of the door. Aragorn nodded respectfully at her with a smile before leaving and Gandalf whispered 'rest penneth'

Elrond spoke again. "You have been invited to a feast tonight if you would wish to attend it. I daresay you will be hungry enough. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have other things to attend to. A servant will be in shortly to help with your bandages." Maethiel nodded.

Elrond left hurriedly, and two servants, one of each gender, took his place. At their signal, she took off her dress and revealed the white sleep shirt and pants she had worn earlier. One lifted up the shirt to reveal a completely bloodstained bandage covering most of her abdomen. They looked up at her.

"You may not want to look, my lady." The male said.

"It looks as if your wound has been opened again slightly." said the woman. "Exactly how long did you walk along before Lord Glorfindel found you?"

Maethiel felt a twinge of guilt.

"I presume you mean the elf that took me to the kitchens?" she asked. They nodded to her and Maethiel sighed. "About an hour."

The elleth shook her head as he began to unwrap the bandages.

"This could hurt." The male whispered to her as the last ring of bandages fell off her stomach. Maethiel looked to the ceiling and clenched her jaw in preparation. The woman probed the wound with her fingers and Maethiel struggled not to yell out in agony.

"Aruial, hand me the new bandages and the bowl of water." she said. As she cleaned and bandaged her wounds again Maethiel asked a question of her own.

"Are my bow and clothes still... here?"

Aruial chuckled. "You think someone will attack you here in Rivendell?"

"No... It's just... They were my fathers." Maethiel answered a hushed tone.

"Yes, we do. One of the stable hands washed your sword of the Orc blood, or so someone told me. I will go get them if you wish." The woman said. Maethiel shook her head as another wave of pain swept through her.

"No, I was just making sure they were not thrown away."

The woman finished and stood up.

"You had best not lean over or it may be split again... Here now, let's take a look at that shoulder." Maethiel mentally groaned. She had already endured a considerable amount of pain and did not want to do it any longer.

"It's for your own good, you know." Aruial said to her as she stood up, guessing her thoughts. Maethiel nodded and pulled the edge of her shirt down to reveal another bloodstained bandage. Maethiel looked away again and the woman completed her task with Maethiel only suffering one jolt of pain.

When it was all over, Maethiel let out a relieved breath. "What time is it?" she asked.

"You shouldn't be worrying about such things, my lady. You have almost two hours until the feast."

Aruial stood, handing Maethiel's dress back to her. The mortal girl smiled thankfully at the elf, feeling like a fool, and turned her head to the door, looking longingly outside.

"Until then, you will stay in bed, even if I must bind you to it. We still have the chains from when Estel was a child" He continued, grasping her shoulder and turning her back towards him, taking care to not touch the wound on her shoulder. Maethiel nodded and he assisted her back to the bed. And almost as soon as she touched the soft pillows of her bed, sleep claimed her.

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